Turquoise is a summery hue that really resonates with me.
Turquoise is a summery hue that really resonates with me. It’s clean, fresh, and works great as a little accent or a bigger splash of color!
1. Gracie Studio hand painted wallpaper
2. Rhys Chair from Anthropologie
3. Turquoise necklace by Alexis Bittar
6. Turquoise seas in Tekek, Malaysia. photo credit
8. Christian Louboutin 20th Anniversary Unzip 100 Suede Sandal
9. Ceramic Vase lamp from Vaughan
I’m currently working on a unique project for client who loves to tend his beautiful gardens: a potting shed!
Just before this past Father’s Day, I met with a client whose beautiful home I’d been contracted to accessorize. The home itself is really lovely and well done, and only needed to be enhanced with further details. While we were discussing the house project, we started talking about the beautiful gardens surrounding the home. The gardens are completely tended by the husband and he has created just a spectacularly gorgeous environment.
Looking at the set up of the garage area, I saw a potential use for the space that just begged to come to life for this particular client. The home has three garage bays, one of which is separated from the others by a breezeway. This space had only a small bench for a workspace and my client expressed his wish for a true potting shed. As we talked about the possibilities, I could see my clients becoming excited by the idea. In the end, they gave me carte blanche to transform this garage into the ideal working potting shed for a enthusiastic gardener. Creating renderings of the space with a layout designed to cater to an avid gardener was the first step in this exciting project.
We then worked out what features should be part of the perfect potting shed. A large bench for work space, plenty of storage, light to work by and grow lights for germinating seeds, drainage in the floor, and a deep sink large enough for watering cans and large pots. Aesthetically, I wanted to incorporate a lot of texture and take advantage of the high ceilings. With these things in mind, I decided to sheath the walls and ceiling in reclaimed oak and install a beautiful, deep soapstone sink with a really tall back splash. The potting bench will have a zinc top and back splash for a touch of an industrial feel. As for the lighting, I really love the idea of using beautiful sconces. Can we get grow bulbs to fit these great lights? I don’t know, but I certainly plan to do whatever it takes to make that idea work!
The flooring presented it’s own challenge. We needed something durable and appropriate to the space, but also with a look suited to the rest of the elements in the potting shed. I explored ceramic stone and antique pavers, but ultimately concluded that a blue stone floor would be ideal. It’s a simple, worry-free element with great texture and large scale. It also echoes the use of blue stone from the nearby pool.
All of these grand designs will be built by my clients’ amazing handyman. The gardens around this home are so divine, my client truly deserves this space and I am really excited to watch this project take shape. Stay tuned for a future update when I’ll post a final reveal of the finished potting shed!
A couple of weeks ago, I had the fantastic opportunity to have lunch with Barbara Sallick, owner of Waterworks.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the fantastic opportunity to have lunch with Barbara Sallick, owner of Waterworks. It was really nice to meet someone so inventive and to be able to pick her brain. I found sitting with her and talking woman to woman to be so delightful. As someone who focuses on creating interiors, it’s fascinating to me to speak to someone who instead focuses on creating a product. What Waterworks does is very specific, constructing items that must be precise down the the millimeter while maintaining the high standards of elegance for the product. They really must think of everything throughout this clever process.
Waterworks was founded as a plumbing supply company in 1925 by Sam Grogins, Barbara Sallick’s father. In 1978, Barbara and her husband Robert set out to bring their vision of beauty and perfect performance to a part of home design that often lacked attention. Their son Peter later joined the company and Waterworks became an industry leader with a well-deserved reputation for craftsmanship and design. With the growth of Waterworks, the company hasn’t lost its vision or mom and pop feel. They truly listen to designers and have honed in on an ideal balance of functionality and gorgeous design, inspired by history rather than trends.
What I love about Waterworks is the diverse styles they offer. They don’t just offer fittings, they offer an entire bath experience that truly has something for everyone. The Studio Line, for example, is very accessible and well done. The Henry line is designed so beautifully, with so many different facets. Honestly, I can see uses for Waterworks elements in the kitchen and beyond.
If you want to also pick Barbara’s brain about her thoughts on design you can access her excellent ideas through her blog, The Perfect Bath. Barbara is also the author of two books: The Definitive Guide to Designing the Perfect Bath (self published, 2006) as well as Waterworks: Inventing Bath Style (Clarkson Potter, 2001).
COCOCOZY is more than an excellent daily design blog. It’s certainly worth reading in its own right for functional and stylish design material, but what really caught my eye about COCOCOZY is the Shop.
COCOCOZY is more than an excellent daily design blog. It’s certainly worth reading in its own right for functional and stylish design material, but what really caught my eye about COCOCOZY is the Shop.
The COCOCOZY shop offers textiles, from pillows to throws to table linens, gifts, vintage accessories, and other unique items. I especially like the textiles. The patterns are fun, quirky, and fresh with a simple graphic concept. Items like the pillows and table linens make great gifts; they are quick finds without being mainstream.
COCOCOZY featured a blog post a while back about the entire process of making a pillow, from the progression of the idea to the final product. This behind the scenes look at how a product is developed is just fascinating. Starting with a sketch, the blog follows the steps involved in bringing a design into being.
The photos only tell half the story. Visit COCOCOZY to view the full progression and read all of the details about how these beautiful pillows came to be. You can also find COCOCOZY on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Throughout summer and into the fall, one of the most enjoyable weekly events can be your local farmers market.
Throughout summer and into the fall, one of the most enjoyable weekly events can be your local farmers market. With the ever-increasing awareness of the benefits of organic foods, sustainable practices, and supporting local farmers, most towns and cities offer a farmers market featuring foods and other locally produced goods. When you buy from a farmers market, you’re not only supporting your own local economy and helping to ensure those vendors are able to stay in business. You’re also treating yourself to the freshest produce, most likely picked that very day, as well as hand crafted goodies like artisan breads, cheeses, local honey, handmade jams, preserves, and pickles, humanely raised meats, and free range eggs. Each market will have its own unique offerings depending on the locality and the time of year; produce available in the spring gradually gives way to summer and then fall fruits and vegetables. Each week you’ll find something new to enjoy.
Along with my family, I go to the High Ridge Road Farmer’s Market here in Stamford. My kids love all the fresh fruit and I like giving them this kind of a healthy choice. I think it’s good for them to see where some of their food comes from and to be able to meet the people who grow and harvest it.
I think it’s so great to see the kind of access to local foods you can have at a farmers’ market. When I was a kid, we used to go berry picking at Jones Farm in Shelton, CT. Nothing tastes better than berries you’ve just picked, warm from the sun and sweeter than anything you’d find at the grocery store. Going to a farmers’ market is like visiting all of your local farms at the same time.
Chances are, there’s a farmers’ market in your town or else very close by. You can visit Local Harvest to find a market in your area!
We all have our favorite day-to-day items, our go-to gadgets and accessories that help us stay organized, keep us on track, or simply make us feel good and lift our spirits as we get through the day. Here’s a list of things I simply can’t live without!
We all have our favorite day-to-day items, our go-to gadgets and accessories that help us stay organized, keep us on track, or simply make us feel good and lift our spirits as we get through each day. Here’s a list of things I simply can’t live without!
1. My Camera
I love my camera! Photography is definitely an art form and I love photos. I’m not a sentimental person at all, except for my family photographs. If my house was on fire and my family was safe, I would run back inside to rescue my photo albums; they mean that much to me.
2. My Watch
I wear my Cartier Roadster watch every day. It’s a piece of feel-good jewelry for me. I don’t need to wear any other accessory, but without this watch I’d feel naked.
3. The Beach
Being at the beach, any beach, simply makes me happy. We sometimes vacation at Cabo San Lucas, and the beaches there are so incredible.
4. Lip Balm
I must use Kiehl’s Lib Balm twenty times a day. I’m never without it.
5. My Hermes Notebook
I have two of these great Hermes notebooks that I use for work and, of course, in my favorite shade of orange! I’m a bit old school; I still prefer to write things down instead of using my phone or a tablet. I keep one notebook for my own notes and one for my calendar. I use them every day!
6. Helmut Lang
I wear Helmut Lang almost every day. It’s functional but looks chic and stylish.
7. Picasso Etchings
Picasso’s etchings are inspirational to me. They helped me navigate my own development with sketching and drawing.
8. Tom Ford – Black Orchid
My signature scent!
9. Ochre Chandelier
Love this! The Arctic Pear Chandelier by Ochre in any size, any color.
10. Amalfi Coast and My Italian Heritage
My Italian heritage definitely defines a bit of who I am. Being able to visit Italy as a child also exposed me to traditions that influence my family life.
11. Jeans
Love these wide legged jeans – they remind me of the 70’s!
12. High Heels
High heels are a signature of my everyday dress code. I am crazy for shoes! Contractors are used to creating planks and walkways for me to get around when I enter a construction site. I am not practical by far!
I love the exciting hue of Tangerine.
I love the exciting hue of Tangerine. It’s such an energetic and confident color, bold and certainly trendy. Tangerine is my daughter’s favorite color and the primary color of my own business cards. This color really resonates with me!
1. Room by Mary McDonald
2. Hand painted Chinese scenic panel by Gracie Studio
3. Tangerine gown by Carlos Miele
4. Greek Key Bedding with Pagoda Headboard
6. Elie Tahari shoe
7. Leighelena Lizard Tangerine Wide Buckle Bracelet
8. Quadrille Fabrics in Pagoda
9. Interior by Lola Agaton
My mom is a very talented cook and gardener. She is also my new guest blogger! Please welcome Debbie Aidinis as she contributes her first post, her amazing tuna salad recipe.
My mom is a very talented cook and gardener. She is also my new guest blogger! Please welcome Debbie Aidinis as she contributes her first post, her amazing tuna salad recipe. –Amy
This is a great summer dish that can be a light main course on a very hot day or to start as an antipasto or appetizer. I am not one who measures the ingredients. If I follow a recipe, I will only do so at first and then make changes after I’ve made the dish a few times.
This Tuna Salad is a recipe I decided to try one night after having a similar dish at a restaurant. It is a lot like a scungili salad or a combination seafood salad. You can definitely substitute another seafood for the tuna.
You will need:
2 cans of Solid White Albacore prime fillet in water or Tonno, which is an Italian tuna
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
½ to ¾ cup green olives, pitted and sliced into halves
½ to ¾ cup large black olives, pitted and sliced into halves
1/3 cup 0live oil
Handful of fresh basil
Handful of fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Coarse black pepper, to taste
Salt to taste, optional
Romaine lettuce, for serving
To make:
Place the green and black olives and the tuna in the refrigerator until they are cold. Chop the celery and onion, if using, and place into a medium bowl. Slice the olives and add them to the bowl. Drain the tuna and pull it apart, then add this to your bowl as well.
In a food processor, chop the parsley and basil together. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, parsley/basil mixture, black pepper, and lemon juice. Whisk together thoroughly and add to the tuna mixture. You may need to add a bit more olive oil, just to hold the ingredients together. Combine all ingredients well and season to taste with salt. Place in the refrigerator until chilled through.
For individual portions, place lettuce on each plate and top with tuna salad.
Enjoy!
We all grow up with our own Fourth of July traditions, but for me, the holiday meant a long celebration that never seemed to end.
We all grow up with our own Fourth of July traditions, but for me, the holiday meant a long celebration that never seemed to end. My birthday falls right near July 4, so as a kid the two events were so intertwined in my mind, I always expected the fireworks to spell out my name in the sky! That never happened, but spending the Fourth with my family still had to be one of the most special memories of summer.
Each Fourth of July, we’d take a boat trip to Port Jefferson for the weekend of the fireworks display. We’d enjoy local festivals, shopping, restaurants, and, of course, the fireworks. From the boat we could often see the fireworks from a few different towns. Being out on the water at night, rocking with the waves while the sulfurous smell of exploded fireworks mingles with the salty air, is about as perfect a way to watch a fireworks show as I can imagine. They may not have written my name in the sky, but that fireworks show was always the culmination of a fantastic family weekend.
Now that I have my own family, I still love to keep up with the traditions I knew as a kid. Boating to Port Jefferson, enjoying a favorite restaurant like Pasta Pasta, and those spectacular fireworks out on the water. I’m not one for going all out with the Fourth of July decorations around the house, but for a cookout or family party, a thoughtfully dressed table or collection of eclectic images goes a long way toward setting the patriotic mood. Think of adding a Fourth of July flair to your picnic basket for the beach, your table at home, or even your clothing or accessories!
Whatever your traditions or plans, I wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July!
One of my favorite interior design blogs truly has something for everyone.
One of my favorite interior design blogs truly has something for everyone. Material Girls was founded by Emily Johnston Larkin of Dallas, Texas. With a team of contributors from across the country, readers can focus on trends near and far with a healthy dose of pop culture thrown in for good measure.
Material Girls also features tips on the best places to shop as well as great deals specific to certain cities. Dallas, Houston, Chicago, LA, and New York are all beautifully represented by contributors from various backgrounds, experiences, and design styles. In fact, Material Girls is like five fabulous blogs all rolled into one. With press and mentions by literally dozens and dozens of magazines and websites such as House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Apartment Therapy, La Dolce Vita, and countless others, Material Girls has a long-standing and well-deserved reputation as a great source of design inspiration. From textiles and furniture to hidden courtyards and stunning artwork, everything relevant to interior design from coast to coast has a place at Material Girls.
